


Will I Last

by SheerIridescence



Category: One Piece
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-15 01:53:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28930557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SheerIridescence/pseuds/SheerIridescence
Summary: This is a depression fic where Brook is just like "nah u can't die" I literally don't know how to make an enticing summary LOL
Relationships: Brook/Reader
Kudos: 6





	Will I Last

It was that fleeting hour of the day when the moon and sun are high and bright at the same time. Like many things in life, these summer nights filled with celestial beauty wouldn’t last much longer. You sat quietly on the roof of the crows nest watching the two celestial bodies cross over each other, unbothered and unfazed in their brief eclipse. The sun now on it’s way into the waters as the moon peaked high into the sky, you watched the trade off as pinks turned to purples and deep dark blues, darkness washing over the sea as a sliver of light became all that was left of the sun. As beautiful as it was, it was almost tragic, and damn near a metaphor for life. The beauty of the moment always lost to the darkness, and soon that moment would never come to be. 

The sun and the stars never aligned the same way they did in the summer, so all would be lost until the next year came to bring back the snuffed out beauty. Like the sun disappearing beyond the horizon, you too would die out. The difference was you did not know when and you would not come back. The tragic nature of life scared you, but what could you do about it? Nothing. Just simply live another day and hope that the next won’t be your last. Lost in these thoughts as you stared up at the sky, you failed to hear the sound of someone approaching you. Your secret spot for thought had been found. 

“Hey _______. What are you doing all the way up here?” Brook’s voice rang out.

Startling you half to death, you jumped a bit and had to steady yourself with the central pole so you didn’t fall. “Good god, a bit of a warning next time please?” You panted, gripping your chest. 

“Oop- sorry!” He laughed.

“If the sea doesn’t kill me, you surely will.” You sighed, giving him a weak smile. 

“I’ll try not to be your undoing, yoho! But I must say, you’ve been gone for quite some time now. I saw your silhouette from the library and came to see if it was really you up here. I’m glad to have been correct! I thought you might have gone overboard!” Brook explained, taking a seat next to you.

“Hah, sometimes I expect to end up under the waves. I’m surprised I haven’t been yet.” You chuckled darkly. 

Brook took a moment to watch you, quickly growing concerned. “_______, are you alright? That was oddly dark, even for you.”

You scoffed and looked over at him, your eyes pleading a different case than your smile did. “Y’know, as much as I’d like to say yeah, truthfully, I’m not really okay. That’s why I’ve been up here so long. I’m absolutely not okay.”

“I guess I made a good call coming up here then. That was blatant. Would you… care to tell me what’s up?” He asked. 

“Now that I think about it, you’re the perfect person to talk to about this problem I’m having. I never actually tried to ask you for help though, because I don’t want to be a nuisance. You have other plans though. Talk about being my hero.” You laughed nonchalantly. 

“Well, I do like to think I have a great gut feeling!” He nodded. 

“Yeah. So… God how do I say this…” You sighed, twiddling your thumbs for a moment. “What’s it like to die?”

Brook was a little shocked, not expecting that to be your question. “Oh my, _______, what has you wondering that?”

“I dunno… I just think life is getting the better of me.” You sighed. “Every day we dive head first into danger, and the amount of times I’ve come close to death an;t even be counted on all of my fingers. I’m just wondering if I’ll last long enough to see everyone’s dreams come true. Or...Is it even worth lasting that long at all. Nothing good ever lasts…”

“You… You think about this a lot, don’t you?” Brook asked gently. 

“Yeah, I do. Almost every day, actually. You’ve lived through all my fears, so that’s why I think you’re the best to talk to. Not to unload on you or anything but I’m scared. You’ve seen your friends die, you felt the grasp of death, and saw the end before inevitably coming back. I wanna know if it’s worth lasting though all that pain, or if I should let the world take me now. So that’s why I ask you… What’s it like to die?” You repeated, tearing up a little as you gazed up at the brightly shining full moon.

Your tears glistened in the moonlight, and Brook instantly knew what he needed to do. Not only did he need to be truthful, but he had to simply be there for you, and he wanted nothing more than to do so. He reached over and pulled you into a hug filled with as much purpose as possible. Though there was nothing much to hold on to, you fell into the embrace almost instantly and let your tears fall silently. Pulling yourself closer to his shape, he threw his long feather boa across your shoulders, keeping you close. You needed a hug badly. Especially after releasing all your concerns for whether or not you should keep on living. 

“I won’t bullshit you. Death hurts, and it’s terrifying.” He said, still holding you. “Feeling your life slip away without being able to stop it is beyond horrifying, and it hurts in such a strange way that not even I can describe it. As for living through the pain of life, yes, it too hurts, but far less than death. Considering I did die, and wandered as a soul for a long period of time, I have a bit of experience with the matter. I wouldn’t change a single thing I’ve gone through even if I had the chance to. They shaped me and my values, and I strive to be better for those who couldn’t. I have so much left to do in this world, and I was luckily given a second chance thanks to the devil fruit. You don’t have that second chance though, so if you’re considering what I think you are… Please don’t.”

The little extra squeeze you felt when he said ‘please don’t’ told you he was holding back his own pain and fear. He’s seen death in many different ways, and you just involuntarily planted a new fear of you potentially being next. Normally you wouldn’t care how other people felt about your demise, but for some reason, now you didn’t want to cause him harm from your fucked up desires. 

“You’re strong. Dare I say all you’ve been through has made you even stronger. You will last if you want to, and I’ll be here to make sure of it.” He added on quietly. 

“Brook…” You started, leaning back enough to look at him. “I’m glad I talked to you. I think I really, really needed that. I won’t lie, I was considering… Offing myself. But now… I truly believe that would be the stupidest shit I could ever do.”

You could feel the tension in his grasp loosen at your words. 

“That pleases me to hear. It really does.” Brook sighed. 

“Shit sucks. But you’re right. I’ve become one crazy strong bitch because of everything. There’s a lot to live for anyway. I don’t think I could bring myself to cause you more pain either.” You said. 

“I… Don’t follow. It’s good to see you change your mind but why am I your biggest concern?” He asked you. 

“I felt how tense you were. You care a lot about me, don’t you?”

“... I do. If you throw yourself off this roof I’d come after your ass. I can’t let you go.” He admitted. 

This made you smile and chuckle a bit, leaning into him. “I made a good choice in picking you to be the one I talk to then. That just made my life. I also care deeply for you, in a way that’s just more than crewmates too. You’re an absolute wonder of a being. I don’t think I could ask for anymore from someone like you.”

“__-_______…”

“Thank you for talking to me. I feel a tone better. For your sake and mine, I’ll keep pushing through. Besides, I can’t leave your side just yet. There’s clearly more things I’ve gotta live through with you.” You winked. 

If skeletons could blush, Brook was the first. He suddenly wasn’t sure if he should be holding you or not and sputtered a bit in speech. “A-are you-!”

“Flirting with you? Totally. That’s play, right? Unless you think you’re too old of a bag of bones for that.” You snorted. "If you’re worried about my thoughts, they come and go with ease so I’m fine. But I must say I don’t think I’ll be having any thoughts of the sort for quite a while. Thanks to you of course.”

Brook felt completely relieved and giddy all at once. “Yes. Yes you can flirt, so long as I can make poor jokes and bad pickup lines in return!” He laughed. 

“Absolutely.” You agreed, settling into his side. “I hope to keep living a long time by your side. I really do. Thank you for coming to me when I didn’t even realize I needed it most. I will last, so long as it’s with you.”

“Oh _______… You really mean a lot to me.” He sighed, pulling you close once more. :Do I really have the privilege to love you?”

“Of course, bone head.” You giggled. “Your thoughts are escaping again~”

“Ah, your laughter! I’m glad to hear it again! I could listen to it for days~. You have to stay with me forever now or I swear to god I’ll find a way to bring you back, you hooligan.” He threatened playfully. 

“Anything for you, Brook.” You grinned. “Now let’s get down from here and have some tea, eh? It’s chilly and nearly bedtime.”

“Of course.: He nodded, both of you descending with a smile. 

Life would be much different from here on out, and that was the kick you needed. You would last, and you wouldn’t have to do it alone. Not when you had Brook.


End file.
